Sea Turtles

Sea turtles covered in oil were some of the most shocking images from the disaster. But BP’s oil may have affected far more turtles than previously known. Buried in a recent federal study is the revelation that large-scale aerial surveys indicated that tens of thousands of sea turtles were in the oiled area of the Gulf in 2010.

The fallout from the spill may have put the brakes on the recovery of at least one sea turtle species. As Pamela Plotkin, the Director of Texas Sea Grant, explains, “The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle has long been the poster child for the possibilities of restoration in the Gulf. Once close to extinction, it has rebounded dramatically over the past 30 years. But four years ago, the numbers of Kemp’s ridley appear to have flatlined.”

Oysters

Oysters are not just a treat for seafood lovers, these humble bivalves play an essential role in the ecology of the Gulf. A single oyster can filter as much as 50 gallons of water per day, and oyster reefs provide important foraging and refuge habitat for hundreds of different species.

However, a recent federal study looking at the environmental impacts of the spill found that oyster reproduction was “extremely low or zero in 2010” over large areas of the northern Gulf of Mexico—and that oyster reproduction remained low at least through the fall of 2012.

Common loons

This migratory species spends its summers in northern climates and was not on the Gulf Coast while the well was gushing oil. Even so, loons that winter on the Louisiana coast appear to have increasing concentrations of toxic oil compounds in their blood, possibly indicating that hydrocarbons from the disaster are making their way up the food chain.

Tuna

A new study has found that a chemical in oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill causes irregular heartbeats in bluefin and yellowfin tuna that can lead to heart attacks, or even death. Juveniles may be particularly vulnerable as these heartbeat changes can also affect the development of other organs, such as the lungs and liver. The researchers believe that these findings may have implications for other species of vertebrates exposed to oil.